TV Review: SURVIVE: Season 1, Episode 2: A Handful of Oblivion [Quibi]

Survive A Handful of Oblivion Review

Quibi‘s Survive: Season 1, Episode 2: A Handful of Oblivion offers an abundance of emotion that deepens the developing plot.

This episode, the second installment in Quibi’s Survive, gives the audience as much emotion that can be fit into a ten minute episode. The awareness of suicide prevention is once again displayed in a well-played episode that is also entertaining.

The opening scene shows right away that Jane (Sophie Turner) isn’t well. The therapeutic group perfectly shows what life is like at the Life House, and the way that it is implemented helps the audience understand what it’s like for its members. Being as much the same as they are different, the scene shows they don’t always get along and the way some of them have to deal with that. Starting the episode with this scene is well thought out because it shows the viewer that Jane is kind at heart when it comes to the people she cares about, but is still struggling with herself.

The following scene is clever, and furthers our understanding that Jane is in conflict with her inner self. When Jane decides to speak to the group, the way the shot captures the others looking at her makes it seem like she is actually talking, which is well done. However, the biggest takeaway from her spiel her use of the word oblivion, hence the episode’s title. Much like the first episode, her idea of suicide hasn’t gone away.

What becomes clear throughout episode two is Turner’s acting ability to play such a deep and emotional part in Jane. It looks natural, and it makes me feel for her for what she is going through with herself.

When Jane forgives her father who committed suicide, it is gut-wrenching. It’s a small detail, but it cannot be passed over. For a daughter to lose her father is tough as it is, and Jane lost hers through suicide. It is unimaginable to me, as the viewer, to forgive a person for doing that because their pain is understood. The way she is able to make peace with it and tell herself she understands why he did it is dark and really shows how much she is hurting.

Jane at the airport also offers more, not as obvious, insight. Jane and the recently proposed-to woman is the clash of two futures. The woman has recently been engaged with a new and exciting life ahead of her, while Jane tries to pretend to be excited as her future is crumbling apart in front of her. Putting these two characters beside each other, even for a short period of time, is interesting.

Up to this point in the episode, Jane has been able to mostly contain herself, but I could tell that would not last very long. It is clear she isn’t ready to leave the Life House in the first place, and the stress of the real-world is overwhelming for her. The scene where she locks herself in the bathroom is the most powerful of the episode.

Kara clearly cares for Jane, and she knows that Jane has suicidal intentions. The next twenty seconds is a barrage of screaming, crying, and losing control, from both Jane and Kara. At first I thought it was overly done, and although it might be it is the only way to show the audience what it is like to be in the shoes of these characters. And in that sense, the screenplay and acting could not have been done better. In an episode where it is thought no sense of humor could be thrown in, the creators found a way to execute it briefly, but effectively. Having Jane be in the men’s bathroom and re-encountering the man who let her pass the security line is comical, and left the episode on a more upbeat note than what was previously thought.

In ten minutes, I feel like I am connected with Jane and the pain she feels. If anything, this series so far does an excellent job of spreading awareness of the problems people like Jane face in real life. The structure in the episode flows, with short scenes that convey meaning. The acting is superb, and I await the third episode for more on Jane’s winding future.

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